


First Days

by UzbekistanRules



Series: McReyes Week 2016 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch Era, Domestic, McReyes Week 2016, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, dad!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:11:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8643655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UzbekistanRules/pseuds/UzbekistanRules
Summary: Kid needed help. Gabriel was going to help. Even if they wound up hating each other.For McReyes Week 2016





	

Reyes took one look at the kid- half mange and the other half mean, watching everything with dark and angry eyes- and sighed. He knew- he just _knew_ , with every fiber of his being- that this kid will not respond to anything positive he might try to say. This Jesse McCree has been beaten down by the world so many times that any act of kindness toward him would be met with unrestrained suspicion- but Reyes wants to help Jesse. Honestly, he really does. But if he coddled the kid, he’ll bolt; if he pitied him, Jesse’ll be as wary as a coyote. Gabriel will have to teach the kid how to be Blackwatch the only way Blackwatch knew how to teach- through pain, discipline, and humiliation.

Surprise dorm inspections happen three days after Jesse unofficially joins. Commander Reyes spares no one his sharp tongue- he is their Commander, not their friend, not their pal. But even in the eyes of the seasoned agents, those who have been around the anger long enough to understand it better than most, Commander Reyes seemed especially hard on the new kid. 

“What. In the hell. Is this mess!?” Gabriel had Jesse in the middle of his room- one of the few without an occupant already there, the only mercy Gabriel granted the ingrate- where he proceeded to break Jesse’s ass down one small sliver at a time. “The bed isn’t made, there are clothes everywhere- unauthorized food storage, unauthorized reading material, unauthorized weapon storage- are you trying to get yourself sent to jail, you idiot? I give you room and board and you can’t even clean up after yourself? Is this how you show your thanks, for me saving your life?”

Jesse muttered something into his chest, voice muffled and subdued. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Gabriel tilted his head, cupping a hand over his ear mockingly, as if to try and hear better. “I can’t hear you over this _fucking_ mess.”

“Said no,” came the short, surly reply, dark eyes darting up in a glare.

Commander Reyes scowled and straightened himself out. He pulled himself up to his full height- an impressive 6 feet plus an inch of muscle and might and authority. His face turned cold and he began to use his battle-tested, trademarked Commander Voice as he demanded, “No. What.” 

McCree shrank back, his lanky 5 foot something body curling in on itself, cowed by the display. Gabriel steeled himself against the compassion that threatened to break his composure. He couldn’t show the kid any sort of pity-it would only be met with suspicion and hostility. Damn Deadlock for breaking a kid like this.

“No, _sir_ ,” McCree spat out; if the way his face twisted up is any indicator, the words taste as bitter on his tongue as they sound leaving his mouth.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, his lip curling up distastefully. “Do you even know how to make a goddamn bed? Fold your own fucking clothes? Figure out a better place for your nudie mags and your food?”

McCree squirmed in place, eyes flickering like they wanted to look up and challenge Gabriel- but they both know he wouldn’t dare. His expression stays sullen, all the same.

“No, sir.” Shame tinted his voice, made it rougher. The compassion rebelled again, and Commander Reyes had no choice but to shove it down because only Gabriel could afford to be compassionate.

After a moment of heated, silent staring, he gave an affected sigh. 

“Fine. Stay in here, don’t touch anything, and I’ll show you how to do it.” He paused, then sharply added, “But only once. Vaquero ingratos need to learn quickly, yeah?”

“Ain’t an ingrate.” McCree paused, scowl darkening before he remembered to say, “Sir.”

“You are what I say you are,” Gabriel snapped, voice cold steel, resistant to all argument; he swung his gaze back around, fixing Jesse under a withering glare. “You got that, punk?”

“Fine, sir. Whatever.” Jesse’s voice went quiet, gaze dropping down to the floor again as he muttered, “Don’t matter none anyway.”

Dread clawed up Gabriel’s throat. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what Jesse meant by that. “Oh?” was all he allowed himself to say.

“Yeah.” The kid’s tone was bitter, quietly angry- but resigned. As if he knew his fate and knew it wasn’t going to change. As if it was set in stone. “Everyone knows you’ll only keep me a week ‘fore you ship me off to jail.”

“Everyone,” Gabriel repeated, eyebrow arching. “Is that right? Because this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Jesse only offered a shrug in reply. He won’t stay long because he’ll fuck up- has _already_ fucked up, perhaps too much. Pangs of guilt gnawed at Gabriel’s heart but his face didn’t- couldn’t- show it. He’s too good, too practiced, at hiding everything under a mask. He had to hide it for both of their sakes.

“Just…” He sighed, scowled again, shook his head. This punk was just determined to get under his skin, wasn’t he? “Just- stay here McCree. You don’t know shit about shit, but I’m here to teach you everything you need to know to survive in Blackwatch. My mission is to see you past your first week.”

Jesse’s eyes shot up, trying to find the lie in the stern lines of Gabriel’s face. But... There was nothing. Nothing but a glare that said that Commander Reyes wouldn’t let him fail, wouldn’t let him fall. Or, if by some chance he did, he’d be dragged back up kicking and screaming until he stood on his own two feet again. 

At least it was better than Deadlock.

Jesse nodded in acceptance, looking around at the dorm with new eyes- it really was filthy. But he would get help now.

He wasn’t alone, anymore.

\- - - - -

It was a half an hour before Reyes came back, broom and dustpan in hand.

“Alright ingrate. What’s clean and what’s dirty.”

Jesse looked up from the weapons manuals he was sorting through, brows furrowed. “Well, th’ clean’s all over th-” 

Gabriel cut in with a swift smack to the back of Jesse’s head, silently hating how the kid had tried to flinch away.

“Wrong answer.” He pointed at an offending pile of clothes, lip curled. “Anything that’s on the floor is dirty. Gather it all up and get in in the washing machines.” 

He’s stone faced and impassive against the grumbles and Jesse does as he’s ordered, gathering all of the laundry in his arms and hauling it out of the room. A trash bag tucked into the waist of his pants was opened and slowly he began to pick through and clean the dorm room. Dusting needed to be done and really there’s no time to sort out recyclables from the true trash- and god would he get an earful about that later- but for now, it’s enough that he managed to get all of it out.

Jesse helped, but slowly. He didn’t want to give up his clutter, the few things he’d managed to accrue- even if it was mostly junk, all of it garbage and worthless trinkets. Gabriel felt a pang of sorrow when he noticed how barren the place got once everything’s reorganized and decided to himself that he’ll get the kid some posters and chachkies later. Maybe a rug- no. Thinking too far ahead. The ingrate needed to earn the rug. The posters would probably be unwelcome and the chachkies...? Well, he was bound to pick up some himself if he wasn’t gifted them by other members.

Gabriel turned to Jesse and caught his attention, beckoning him over to the still rumpled bed. “Alright kid. This is how you make your bed. I’ll only show you once so you best pay attention.”

Military corners were a bitch. But they were army standard and he forced Jesse to practice them until they both hated the sheets.

And by the time they were done wrestling with the bed, it was time to move on to the freshly-cleaned laundry. Jesse looked like he was going to hit something as he struggled- again- to properly fold his dress shirt. Gabriel was ready to rip all of his hair out at the idea of having to go through the process again. But the kid would learn, come hell or high water. 

Gabriel would teach the colt what it meant to have pride in the space he inhabited, why it was a good idea to keep it clean and organized, and if he was lucky... well, the walls and floors did tend to have bits of masonry just coming out. 

There were a few good places to hide things, if one knew where to look. Maybe a little bird could show him how to find those places and make them on his own.


End file.
